Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-10-19
IoulIi LAR0((lJE.
Adapted and Translated from the French
of Jules Mary.
BY OLIVE HARPE2-
CHAPTER XIV.


noticed the traces of sorrow and trouble on
his mobile face on bis departure; she saw joy
and hope when he returned
Something pleasant has happened, my
son?n
He smiled, but only said:
Al can tell you nothing, mother-yet"--
"WellT
q am happy and v .sh you to share my
joy"
"And her refusalf'
"Was not Oil her own account. There was
an obstacle between US
"How many nysteriesl and the obstacle
has ceased to existT
mo-
And your marriagei"
Soon, | hope 1t depends on certain
things, which an not at liberty to tell, but
l hope soon"
Pray God you have your wish, my dear
boy. | ask no more to render my own hap
piness complete" said this mother, who was
so blind. Afterwards they both remembered
this wish Her face cleared and she grew
quite cheerful in the knowledge that her
favorite son was to he happy. Not one com
miserating thought did she bestow upon her
elder son, whose heart lay like lead in his
bosom, and who had no idea that Raymond
was his successful rival.
From the day he saw Suzanne last Ray
mond had but one desire and one preoccupa-
ton, and that WIS to discover the mystery in
the affair concerning her father.
At Paris, at police headquarters, he found
no difficulty in getting all the facts he de
sired The LarCque affair was not forgot
tan 81 Il
Lucien all those who had been especially in
terested i'll it were still alive, and he thought
he could easily find them.
The days passed in minute reconstruction
and copy of all the testimony, and, though
he could not see his way clear to prove it, he
saw clearly how justice had followed up
Roger Lafoquo upon preconceived theory
of his guilt given by NJ Lecroix, and thus
they had never made any movement toward
the discovery Of the real criminal. He studied
the testimony of Suzanne and her mother, of
Roger and Victoria, and noticed that not one
Of them varied He did not wonder that an
innoesDt man was tried and condemned on
such evidence, indeed, he wondered more
how be was not sentenced to death.
One mystery appeared in ali Rogers an
swers Had Lucien penetrated itl Perhaps
he had. Was it not possible that among the
papers relating to this affair might be found
some mention of it2 At any rate be could
look In a large closet at Meridon farm there
was an immense quantity Of paper, books and
briefs, which had belonged to his father, and
be was quite certain that he should find them
undisturbed, with the accumulated dust of
all these years upon them
Thu vould haya haap a painfuI fash to
open and search all these traces of his bril-
liant fathers ambitious talent, under other
circumstances Now it seemed pious labor
and as he worked among them he thought
with regret of that honorable, loyal life SC
nobly spent and lost.
Until evening he worked without finding
anything; then he at last came upon the
notes which bore upon the assassination OF
Larouette. Little BY little he found the pa
pers which made up the file, and finally he
found the notes and most of the final speech
which Lucien had given. He read it with a
heart beating high with conflicting emotions,
and with tears standing in his eyes. The
eloquent passages fairly spoke even now, with
the dust of age upon them. At nearly every
page Raymond found few words as mar,
ginal notes, such as: what is this mystery
of the money! What Internal part has this
woman PLAYED in Rogers life, that be will
not confess" Il see womans hand in this, y
and 3Who is this woman"
my father was not deceived said Ray
mond. There was a woman, but who is
shegn
At last the desk in the closet was empty,
and there remained but few papers This
desk had belonged TO Julia, but in removal 10
the farm it lad been placed in here and all
the other papers with and upon it As there
were still apparently two or three leaves of
the brief missing, Raymond took hold of
some papers and they seemed caught With
his penknife be tried to loosen them and in so
doing he touched spring somewhere, and a
narrow secret drawer flew open, and in it
was a photograph Of handsome, noble look
ing man.
The photograph was clean and in every
other way in good condition, except that
where the heart of the man would be was a
cut clear through the paper. as though done
with some sharp instrument Idly turning it
in his hand Raymond saw written on the
back, in his mothers delicate but peculiar
handwriting, the following dates:
"The 18th of July lSi2, at IL 80 p. m
"The Both of July, 1872
"The 18th OF August, lS12.n
What was this: WY these three dates be-
hind the picture of this unknown In bis
mothers writing, and besides, who was this
mani He felt that be had seen him some
where
Finally, Pr to vague uneasiness, Ray
mond placed the photograph in his pocket
8 H. L. L.
ran, he throw himself on tbs ground, but
wherever he went he was haunted by that
face in the picture, and also those dates in
his mother writing. He looked again and
wiz a gre,4I of agony hid the face, then
again he Looked, this time as one faces G
forlorn hope aud doubt was no longer pos
sible; this ',,S, without even one sole little
possibility 81 couht, Roger Laroque as he was
before this a"iuI accusation fell upon him
To be SUR. tae hair and beard were dark, the
face was y,r. Z and care free, and that awful
disfiguriug had not destroyed the sym
metry OF a.. lft side of his face; but the
same great Fl, eyes, high forehead and gen
eral cast 81 .tures were there. William For
ney of tcG and Roger Laroque of old were
one. IheH 10y these three dates in hi
mother's 81 ,ugl She must have known
Laroque w ~ hut why had she never men.
toned his .', All the afternoon and until
late he H. iued in the woods, entering al
night snnt nd silent
"What matter with you, my boy
Are you 4
mo, o. 'ly head aches a little from
fumblinS use dusty papers"
As soor amer was over, when he ate
next to lie went at once to his room.
And the in examined the photograph,
and the u studied it the more certain
be gre" t was impossible A sus-
picion car. .nto his mind which gave hin q
mortal ehs! lie knew that there was wo-
man mike M =teriously up in that crime; be
searched iog traces Of her, and the first one
he found lei him straight to his own mother
This thought kept him awake almost the
whole night, and the first light of the morn
ing founa h.m up and ready to take the train
for Paris. where he had business TO transact
during til, = Before leaving he was alone
few mint with his mother, who said:
ADo you tecl better today, my sonl Are
you quite v ilt'
@Yes; n well all night"
Il though heard you up very early"
II have i,r long time wanted to put my
fathers / ~ in order; you know how they
were TIL INTO the closet and your desk
That rentals me, l found a photograph
among tho,e rlpers with three dates writer
scross the back, by you if am not mis-
taken
And he L..EI,d her Roger Laroque's photo
graph. 7, fleet was stunning. Pale a
death its.., .jniia had hardly time to reach o
chair h, f6i, tie sank down without strength